To ask, what's the worst parental mistake you have made in good faith?

As end of term approaches the kids and I were looking back over the highs and lows of the last school year. One incident stood out. World book day. I sent my daughter in wearing a bonnet and an empire line dress - take your pick of the Bennet sisters - but my son (14 and autistic) loves the Simpsons so with a yellow swim hat, some face paint, a shirt, jeans and a cushion, he made a fabulous Homer. That night they came home keen to talk about their day. DD quite happy, DS less so. Turned out my son's book day at school was the following week. He got off the bus that morning, well, you can imagine. Because he is the first to be picked up in the morning I hadn't noticed anything was wrong. I asked him what they said, and he replied "Mrs X said, 'Don't worry, we can wash it off"...."By way of footnote we did turn disaster into triumph the following week when he reprised his role and came back with first prize, but both kids have spent the afternoon revisiting - I suspect this is a maternal gaffe never to be forgiven or forgotten.

Not me but my mum sent me to school with flowers, card and chocolate as she thought my teacher was leaving. Turns out that she was only taking the day off for a funeral. She was very and I was mortified.

In a moment of sheer desperation over toilet training I told my son that the police come and arrest people who have pooed their pants. There is barely anything I regret more. (Please don't make me feel worse than I already do). We live on a main road and often hear the siren. He would exclaim "oh no, someone has pooed in their pants!" He's now secondary school age and still says it, thinking it's a great joke, so hopefully no long-lasting trauma. Bad bad honeylulu.

After dd1 had a spectacular fall at the farm. She scraped all her face near her eye, all swelled up etc.

Went to the pharmacy for cream who suggested docs as she'd fallen in a working farm yard and just check nothing got in her eye. Good plan me thinks but I hope they don't think I'm making a fuss so book to squeeze in with the nurse.

On seeing dd1 first thing she says is 'I'll just get the doc so he can check she's not broken her eye socket or cheek bone' it hadn't even crossed my mind!

DS was keen to learn so I taught him his alphabet. He knew it at 2-3 years and I felt all proud. But I didn't teach him in phonetics which actually set him back when he went to school as he then had to relearn it all. I still feel guilty now as it was a struggle for him for a bit

Stopping my daughter from opening the car door into the car next to us I underestimated the voluptuousness of my bosom and smacked ds' forehead into our car door. Huge bruise to his forehead, reparations in the form of lots of cuddles and sweets and a red-faced explanation to his teacher following the incident .

We forgot to get her fully dressed...she was about two and we went to the seaside. I thought she was wearing something a bit odd but chose not to accus DH of poor fashion sense. When I got her out of the car she was still with her nappy on and pjs under her dress. It turns out shed got herself dressed and we both thought the other parent had dressed her!

Must say she was our first and I hope we have got better. We always say she was the one we practised on!

Didn't take the kids back to school on Monday after the easter holidays - I thought they started back on Tuesday. Realised just before lunch and took them in, put 'parental incompetence' in the late book.

My mum once made me ride my bike to daycare with a broken arm and then shouted at me when I rode into the road because I couldn't squeeze the brakes. Then left me at daycare all day and didn't take me to A&E till the next day because she thought I was playing it up to avoid daycare (hated that place.) I got mileage out of that one for YEARS.

I haven't done anything to mine yet, too young. Plenty of time though!

DS1 was at primary school, dyslexic, never got to do anything major in any of the parent-attended assemblies / performances.I didn't take the morning off work to watch some harvest festival or somesuch celebration. At parents' evening they told me it was a shame I missed him doing the main reading part at the one I did not attend. (Darn shame no-one told me he was going to be doing it! DS1 I'm looking at you!)